New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-16
THE SAMOAN ISLANDS.
GERMAN INrRIGUEs ABOUT TO SUCCEED
SOME LIVELY CHAPTERS OF DIPLOMATIC HISTORY


trRoM An occAsIoSA Al CORRESPONDENT OF THE rkBuSEl
SAN FRAxcisCo, Sept % Tho failure Of the
Hawaiian Embassy to Samoa, ana the menace Vi 'ho
German Admiral to King Maietoa-thc news OF when
came by cable last wcck-cals renewed attention 10
the affairs Of tho Samoan Island-, which have been
In a tangled condition for fifteen years Bo'h Eng
land and Germany have lustcd after these rich Souh
Sea islands, but neither has had the nerve 10 se@o
them for fear of rOuble with the United STATES fro"
q gen ;lcman who recently returned mere ai'oi e0'
eral years residence the Islands haVo oo'a'"'"
some interest ing information about their resources
and some inside facts about tho diplomatic su"ssio
for their control which have never been puolsno'
In conversation about the Islands, he sa'u Inv
American Government IS singularly Dina u 'no '"
OF the Samoan Islands. Secretary BaNaiu s0''
DO content with gaining possession Oh P ~
coalinc station at PangO-Pango, which womb oo "
very little value In of a war with ei'hcI E"s'%"'
or Germany because of It's rcmoieness Ho'h 'n''
country Tho United states has lost pres"so vi
islands since ii refused to uphold Cohsu 'i &C.,,
la, wear The twelve samoan Islands arc -.
miles from Honolulu and only 1,40G mics HOi' ,,
land, New-Zeaand by their position 'neS MAJ 49,
belnnred IN New-Zeaand, If they beiOhBeu W "'
civilized p,wer They are the track oi 'he s'ca
line from New-Zealand to thls co"n"'' 1,n1s
proper mana cement american uaio VA W. -,
youid be D. greatly developed as our 'r"'o 10" mr.,
with the Hawaiian Islands in the last Ten year, ~
exncrience of the spreckels and other Americans -
Growing sugar ane on the Hawaiian ISLANDS Sho"'
what energy and good business management , ~,
complsh In tho south seas when not ,..
any harsh Governmental regulations sum "
the death blow To the FIJI lSiahu'' . hop
But ii tho sandwich Islands nave pio'' -
.,,. 70 American and English planters, inc o''"
Is,ands offer field infinitely richer and moro >"'e
for such entci prscs. There is hvo t'nioo 40 -
fertile land samoa as there ID III ii""" -. %
SMEAR cane has been cultivated 10 any So
Con, tho land Is adapted to remuneratve crops.
aim
,ri,h success nj a minimum of expense. Ae' Vi ''i0
500 coo acres Of cutvable lands on the siai'uo o'
1900 acres arc planted In crops anu WIS 49,
Of $4,000 acres is almost entirely owheu ny NV ~,
German company OF which bismarck Il sun =,
one q, tbe Leading stockholders. The land 'hat Is
suitable for cotton and coffee Is as rich as 'io
No,tom lands in our Southern States, ana inc co''o
,roduced is the equal of the best sea slanu s"P''
The German company had trouble only WIN 'no Pr
curement OF laborcrs The Samoan>' hho INC ii"
Taiiaus, will not do steady work inc country 81
them living with comparatively no continuous
,ahor and no money induccment Is sullicici W o"
,o them IN STAY for any length Of time on one piah'
finn. so this foreign company, like splecheiS anu
other largo sugar planters on the ha"d' u" .,
has been compelled to import nearly al is i'C
has adopted the practice of bringing Germans ga,
d,navans anI Portuguese from tho Madeira lsa"us
under contract to work It's fields. Inc re'ui' mas
hoon amended with the candals Of cruel treatment
md hitter rae, pre- udce which "a ATTENDED lho Sa0
experiment in Hawaii, and there seems 10 DC iio q"'
ton, Judging from the experience OF TINS co'paS
that all this great body of fertile land on the isanu'
can be utilized and made to yield royal revenue
TRAITS OF CURIOUS PEOPLE
aTbe samoans are about the last people on the
regular track OF the steamer line To Australia VIM
have retained their primitive characteristics anu CO.
tune. Like Hawalians, they nave c'usn' >'V
trick from missionaries of repeating prayers anu
of attending church with great regularity, Out uhho
nom absorbing ali the vices OF civ Haton
They seldom drink strong liquor even wheh II Is oei'u
TO them. The spectacle of the refusal VI Tree uedC
is something unknown the Sandwich Islands, rom
his Ighncss King Kaiahaua TO the lowest hdhd4h'
Tho Samoan, however, satisfied with native dlhi'
called "kala," which somewhat resembles our root
beer and he has great contempt for the drunhehhes"
which is SO common among the foreign residents Oh
the islands The SamOanS retain, with Httie chahec'
their native costume OF a hundred years ago a
kilt which from the waist TO the knees Is inc
standard costume Of both sexes Through mSsioA
AIRY influence, many OF tie women wear Dodice VI
calico or other stuff when in holiday ATTIRE Dut
tho ludcrou sight so often in Honolulu OF native
women going church in heavy bomtazihe dresses
with the mercury at ITO III The shade ls hAPFH' INV"
seen In sunny samoa
There seems to be a curious mlsconcopton Of tho
character of the people by most of those VINO VINO
for tho cycopa Gias and other ANIMALS. Thus you WI"
find it stated that the natives are reputed vtuou' ana
honest No one who has resided ON the lslahus La'
ever been able discover either O these uat' III 'no
great mass tho people. They are notorious aS 'ho
most accomplished and thieves In the south seas,
rho their climate and their indolent, sensuous lfs
preclude all possibility Of virtue. Like some of the
old tibes oi North America, they regard lying az a
mark OF signal ability, and no one resident Oh inc
islands for any length of time Will ever take the word
ot a samoan under any circumstances whatsoever.
srbev are 10 much in the habit OF fasehOod aud eA
aggeration they lie for the mere lusa VI lying
.iH,r tbie,l.L habits ae constant source OF annoy
In. al
goes down and tropical darkness comes on IL II ING
5iea.ant custom oi the Samoan TO sally out and levy
on tho melons, and cocoanuts oil his neighpofs
II his fellow samoan has good cop anu is no aeh
OF operations 4, the saden OF the Euoiean reslden,
Nothing but high fence and eternal y sanos VIII
"Yet people Of Samoa have many goo s,as
ties which have marked the settlement Of the other
south groups have occurred here inc san ,
The race is a magnificent one-the men averagln:
nearly six feet 10 height % WIN e nced TO work
regularly they would mako invaluable plan! tssn
han %s eghtiSs As far back as anything known Of
the history Of islands, there have been constant
bG0s odns on between Maietoa and Tanase which
thre,tens 10 throw the country into tho hands OF Cor
gaming favor in the eyes Of coppercoo'ed damscl
unt he has captured tho head o an eHe Ge Gets The
This STATE Of s1 9s r1eTa sh IN 10 which
constantly going on between bands OF natives.
GERMAN INTRIGUEs FOR CONTROL
@You probably are aware from the cable dispatches
and the news which comes By steamer, OF some OF
se effort of IN to get possession OF the Islands
nut no one who has lived at Apa can have any Idea
of the porsistency with which Bismarck has followed
,,p his plan OF gobbng up these rich South Sea pos
sessions Where buldozing and intrigue have failed,
money has freely used and the result Is that before
the close of year 1t pretty safe to say that Ger
many WIFI be in possession OF these long coveted
Islands Though remote from American and European
Influences the diplomatic history Of these islands Il
very Interesting The British fifteen years ago we're In
the ascendant there they were everywhere In the
.,,h c..s In 1870 the islands were brought prom
n.ntly into notice by the exploits OF Colonel stem
berger an American with a German name, VINO had
sspirations 10 become the ruler OF these Islands
- LIl.Ir In AnnI.